Yay! The distance between the two closes every chapter... it's hardly romantic (as opposed to some other mangas), but I suppose that's what makes it so realistic. I wonder if the author adds drama as a literary effect or if that much emotional turmoil is not atypical.
I'm also gay, so I understand it's really uncomfortable to come out (even writing this sentence is kinda uncomfortable haha). Still, I'm not sure if drama between the LGBT characters trying to accept themselves and the (sometimes insensitive/not nice!) non-LGBT characters is exaggerated or not. I did some research, and in Japan, it doesn't seem to be much worse than in the U.S. (which, I think, has some progress to make, but people seem largely pretty accepting? It may depend on the part of the country, though; I am incredibly fortunate to have the privilege of living in California, which is pretty liberal and, at least in a lot of the bay area, well-educated). For example, 72% in the U.S. say that homosexuality should be accepted, while 68% in Japan, which isn't too far off [1].
1: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/06/25/global-divide-on-homosexuality-persists/